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A Head in the Polls
| guests = | writer =J. Stewart Burns | storyboards =Ira Sherak, Rodney Clouden | preceded_by =''Brannigan, Begin Again'' | followed_by =''Xmas Story'' }} A Head in the Polls is the seventh episode of Futurama Season Two. It was written by J. Stewart Burns, and directed by Bret Haaland. Synopsis The election race for President of Earth is in full swing, with two clones as candidates and the Planet Express crew registers to vote. Meanwhile, a mining disaster on Titan sends the price of titanium through the roof, and Bender seizes the opportunity to make a quick buck by pawning his 40% titanium body. As a head with a pile of cash, Bender begins enjoying his new lifestyle. During a trip to the Hall of Presidents in the New New York Head Museum, Richard Nixon's head ruins Bender's illusions about the glamor of a life without a body. The next day Bender heads off to the pawn shop to retrieve his body, but it has been sold. Later, Nixon's head announces its candidacy for President of Earth, using Bender's body to escape a constitutional provision that "nobody can be elected more than twice". Fry, Leela, and Bender take off to Washington, D.C. to stop Nixon and recover Bender's body. Directly confronting Nixon fails to recover Bender's body, so the crew infiltrates Nixon's room at the Watergate Hotel. Leela successfully separates the sleeping head from the robot body, but Fry accidentally wakes Nixon. Confronting the intruders, Nixon begins ranting about his future plans for Earth. However, Bender records the conversation and knowing that the tape would ruin his election chances if released, Nixon trades the body for the tape. On election day, Nixon wins by a single vote after Leela and Fry forget to vote against him. The episode ends with Nixon -- who now has the body of an enormous war robot -- inexplicably rampaging through Washington, D.C., as Secret Service agents escort him into the White House. References Explained * After being confronted with the audio tape at the end, Nixon's head says, "Oooh, expletive deleted". This phrase became commonplace after the Watergate transcripts were publicly released in book form, and the phrase "expletive deleted" was used in place of the profanity uttered on the original tapes by H. R. Halderman and other Watergate insiders. * During the debate, Nixon sweats and appears uncomfortable during the debate. This is a reference to the first televised Presidential debates in 1960 between John F. Kennedy and Richard Nixon. At the time of the debate, Nixon was recovering from a knee injury two weeks earlier. He arrived at the debates in an ill-fitting shirt, and refused make-up that would have hidden his poor pallor and 5 o'clock shadow. Those who heard the debate on radio felt that Nixon had won the debate, while those who watched it on TV felt that JFK won. * When Fry asked why Nixon would stay in the "Watergate Complex", Leela explained that they give you a discount if you've been there before. Nixon took part in the "Watergate Scandal", which was a failed attempt by president Richard N. Nixon's staff to break into the Democratic headquarters at the Watergate office complex. * In the Hall of Presidents, you see Jesse "The Head" Ventura. As a wrestler, Jesse Ventura was known as "The Body". He was Governor of Minnesota from 1999 to 2003. Appearances Characters *Jack Johnson *John Jackson *Claudia Schiffer's head Trivia *When Bender has a nightmare in binary, he later says, "Ones and zeroes everywhere! And I thought I saw a two." In almost the exact middle of the dream, you can see the two appear towards the bottom right of the screen. Category:Season Two